Joyfield Is Announced As The Winner Of Hard Rock Rising And Wins A Spot On The Main Stage At The First-Ever Hard Rock Live Rome Music Festival

ORLANDO, Fla., May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hard Rock is proud to announce Seattle's Joyfield as winner of the Hard Rock Rising global Battle of the Bands competition, after going up against more than 10,000 bands worldwide. Joyfield has now officially joined the main stage lineup at Hard Rock Live Rome, which includes a headline performance by Italian chart toppers, NEGRAMARO. The festival will be held on Saturday, July 12, 2014, in the Piazza del Popolo – just a stones-throw away from the Spanish Steps and the Roman Coliseum! Hard Rock Live Rome is a chance of a lifetime for Joyfield to gain exposure and showcase its talent on an international stage.

Based out of Seattle, Washington, Grand Prize winner Joyfield's pop/rock sound has been capturing national attention for more than five years.  The four-member band is ready to rock out in Rome, Italy and introduce their hit songs, "Marie" and "You Smell Like Work," to more than 40,000 festival-goers. 

The judges were so impressed with this year's talent that it resulted in a three-way tie for the runner-up bands. Guatemala's En Boca De Todas, Orlando's Fiery Sushi and Mumbai's The Koniac Net captivated fans and judges throughout the competition and will each receive new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000.

"The caliber of artists competing in Hard Rock Rising 2014 made it incredibly difficult to choose a winner," said Scott Hutchison of acclaimed indie-band, Frightened Rabbit, and Hard Rock Rising Industry Panel Judge. "Joyfield stood out because of their unique sound and I'm sure they will make a big impression at the first Hard Rock Live Rome festival!"

Dedicated to live music and its support of emerging artists, Hard Rock International, in partnership with online music services company ReverbNation, launched Hard Rock Rising, the world's largest Battle of the Bands competition. The competition received more than 10,000 band entries, with 750 bands that competed live on more than 70 Hard Rock stages around the world. 

Hard Rock's Global Battle
Joyfield, En Boca De Todas, Fiery Sushi and The Koniac Net beat out their rivals in a series of live battles at their local Hard Rock Cafe, survived an online local and a global voting phase, and were chosen as the top four by a panel of acclaimed industry experts, including Steven Van Zandt, producer, songwriter, creator of the world's most successful radio rock show "Little Steven's Underground Garage," founding member of the E Street Band and soon to be Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee; singer and hit songwriter Bonnie McKee, known for her hit single "American Girl" as well as hit songs for Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Britney Spears; Scott Hutchison of acclaimed indie-band, Frightened Rabbit; Laura Taylor of Everybody's Management, who currently works with Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons; Stone, guitarist of Taiwanese band Mayday and Hard Rock Records' Artist Relations Executive James Buell.

As the Grand Prize Winners, Joyfield will be flown to Rome for the ultimate rock star treatment, including a live performance on the main stage at the first Hard Rock Live Rome music festival.  The runner-up bands, En Boca De Todas, Fiery Sushi and The Koniac Net, will each receive new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000.

"This year's Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands competition introduced an astounding pool of talent to Hard Rock stages around the world and we were inspired by the high-level competitors that chose to showcase their music through our program," said James Buell, Director of Music & Artist Relations for Hard Rock International. "With such an amazing prize on the line, the scoring process for the judging panel was more difficult than ever. We are excited to offer Joyfield the opportunity to get heard, get discovered, and find new fans when they take the stage in Rome at Hard Rock's first-ever Hard Rock Live Rome music festival!"

Rock Out in Rome
Rome and Piazza del Popolo will be at the center of the music world this summer as Hard Rock International partners with Roma Capitale for a concert event that will go down in music history. On Saturday, July 12, 2014, Hard Rock presents Hard Rock Live Rome, a free outdoor music festival in the heart of the Roman Empire. The event will feature a headline performance by Italian chart toppers, NEGRAMARO, best known for their breakthrough album Mentre Tutto Scorre, which went six-times platinum since its release. Winners of Hard Rock Rising will be flown to Italy and receive the greatest rock star experience – the chance to visit the historic city of Rome and join NEGRAMARO for the main stage festivities!

Hard Rock Live Rome is sure to be an unforgettable event in the Eternal City! Hard Rock Live Rome will bring a fresh music program to more than 40,000 fans from across Italy and feature a mixture of Italian and international talent. With six hours of live performances by more than 10 bands on two outdoor stages, music fans and festival-goers of all ages have the chance to watch performances by established rockers and today's hottest up-and-coming artists.

Rising to the Occasion
In addition to the star-packed main stage, Hard Rock Live Rome will feature a Hard Rock Rising stage which will showcase Hard Rock International's connection to the new music scene and commitment to up-and-coming bands. The Hard Rock Rising stage will double as Hard Rock's "On the Road" tour truck which will travel to select Hard Rock Cafe locations in Europe and feature live performances by local bands and emerging artists.  At each stop, Hard Rock's "On The Road" truck offers fans an exciting concert experience complete with a built-in stage for live music, a pop-up Bacardi cocktail bar, a Rock Shop retail store and items from Hard Rock's world-famous memorabilia collection.

Committed to supporting music and emerging artists around the globe, Hard Rock International hosted more than 25,000 live music events worldwide in 2013.  The brand continues its dedication to support of up-and-coming artists in 2013 with the Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands, providing a forum for today's hottest new talent.  

Visit www.hardrock.com for additional details on dates, times and upcoming performance schedules.

About ReverbNation
ReverbNation provides over 3.3 million artists, managers, labels, venues, festivals/events and other music industry professionals with powerful, easy-to-use technology to promote and prosper online. Their wide array of distribution and promotional solutions provide the hands-on tools and actionable insights that allow them to reach their goals in an increasingly complex music industry. The company operates worldwide with customers on every continent. Over 20 million visitors come to reverbnation.com every month.  For more information, visit ReverbNation.com and follow ReverbNation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/reverbnation.  

About Hard Rock International
With a total of 180 venues in 55 countries, including 140 cafes, 19 hotels and 9 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company's two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Biloxi, Chicago, Cancun, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, San Diego and Singapore. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include Seoul, Vienna, Anchorage and Siem Reap. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Daytona Beach, Aruba, Abu Dhabi, Ibiza and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.

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